Monday was my “day of pain.” Or at least that’s how I dubbed it in my head, in light of the two treatments I was going to have done that day: Brazilian laser hair removal, and also the new Skin Ceuticals Advanced Corrective Peel. Now I’d HAD a chemical peel done…twice. So I sort of knew what to expect from that one. But I am not gonna lie…I was afraid of the laser hair removal (LHR). I was also excited, of course, since the outcome for both is something I want: hairless in one place and no melasma in another place. But this past Monday brought trepidation as I walked into the office, only imagining what was to come. I’ll take you in chronological order as the events happened to me.
I don’t know why I was so nervous about the LHR. Ok maybe I do…pain for beauty is one thing. Pain on your vagine is another…and yes…that says vagine, pronounced VAH-jean…like you’re French. I’ve worked at Body Tonic for over a year and have held out on this particular procedure simply because: 1) I was afraid of the pain and 2) because getting the procedure means your co-worker sees your stuff.
ANYWAY. At about 11:30 Leslie gave me numbing cream and gloves and said, “Go put this on.” And by 11:45 I was on the table with a sheet over me like I was at the OBGYN! She came in and said? “You ready?” I seriously have never been more nervous about anything.
Oh! I forgot to tell you about the prep from the night before. So, you have to shave everything you want lasered. Not trim. Not wax. Get a razor and shave. So….I’m a wax and trim type of gal so a razor near my vagine was not welcome. But I did it. The reason you have to shave is this: the laser targets pigment and so the goal is to have the laser target the pigment in the hair follicle, not the pigment on the actual hair. So it needs to be gone before you come for your appointment.
Leslie fired up the laser and we put our safety glasses on and she went to work. Honestly, most of it was not that bad. Some hardly hurt at all. Some hurt A LOT. But it was only for a few seconds. And honestly… the armpits hurt way worse. The whole thing only took maybe 15 minutes. But I could tell afterwards my adrenaline had been high…probably just in anticipation.
The chemical peel was to follow about an hour later. This is a brand new peel that brings hyper-pigmentation and melasma to the surface and then allows it to slough off, much like the result from an IPL. I was super excited because I know I have melasma and it really came to the surface while we were in Mexico a few weeks ago.
Kit also did the Advanced Corrective Peel, and she went first. Compared to other peels I’ve seen done, this one didn’t seem to affect her that much, pain wise. This peel can be applied 1-5 times during one treatment session…3 being the average. Kit received three layers. Contraindication beforehand are no retinoids for one week, no excessive sun, and no use of Clarisonic or other similar exfoliations.
I went after Kit, and by this time, the numbing cream from the LHR had started to wear off so I was mildly uncomfortable in another region. The first layer of the peel went on and it just made me feel very not. Like a hot burning sensation…like being out in extreme sun. Leslie fanned me while Kit waited to determine if we would do a second layer. My face got much redder, and I was more uncomfortable than Kit had been. I know my skin is sensitive, but dang! It hurt! And Kit didn’t seem like hers bothered her at all. We ended up doing only one layer for me. It worked great though! I was sloughing off pigment like crazy within a few days! (I did remember that night that I had a microdermabrasion about 4 days before…so THAT could’ve been why my peel hurt so much). Duh!
Kit and I are both finished peeling for the most part now. Here’s how my results went:
Day 1: Peel applied; sent home with after care products: Gentle Cleanser, CE Ferulic, Phyto-Corrective, Epidermal Repair, Hydra Balm
Day 2: Skin slightly tight and drying
Day 3: Definititve peeling and a lot of dryness (by that evening, after my shower, my peeling skin was loose enough that I was able to get most of it off very gently with a washcloth. You do NOT want to force this!
Day 4: Still dryness and peeling around my eyes and forehead, and slightly around my jawline and nose.
Days 5-7: Mostly back to normal, although some slight dryness persists.
My skin clarity looks amazing. Some pigment is still visible on my forehead so I will likely do a second peel in another 4 weeks. Four peels, four weeks apart are recommended.
We are both really pleased with the results. Try it out this week! Just maybe don’t try it out on a week you are gonna get your period AND have LHR on your bikini area…the result is a little overwhelming!!!
See our before and after pics here!